Published Date: 2007-05-19 07:00:02
Subject: PRO/EDR> Chikungunya - Africa (Gabon)
Archive Number: 20070519.1591

CHIKUNGUNYA - AFRICA (GABON)
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[1]
Date: 11 May 2007
From: Eric Leroy <Eric.Leroy@ird.fr>

Chikungunya - Gabon
-------------------
A chikungunya outbreak has just been identified in Libreville, the capital
of Gabon in Central Africa. The Gabonese authorities have officially
declared this outbreak based upon laboratory confirmation of 51 of 96
suspected clinical cases by the Centre International de Recherches
Medicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon, and the Faculte de Medecine de
Marseille, France. The laboratory confirmation was based upon real-time PCR
[polymerase chain reaction], sequence analysis, and virus isolation. A
national outbreak response network has been established by the Gabonese
authorities and WHO Afro.
This is the first laboratory confirmed outbreak of chikungunya in Gabon.
Chikungunya fever is an arthropod-transmitted viral disease. Arthralgia is
the most typical sign. The acute phase of the disease lasts for 2 to 4 days
with recovery in 5 to 7 days. The other typical signs/symptoms of the
disease include: fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, etc.
--
communicated by
Eric Leroy <Eric.Leroy@ird.fr>
Head of Emerging Viral Diseases Unit
CIRMF
Franceville, Gabon
******
[2]
Date: 14 May 2007
Source: Ministry of Health, Gabon [edited]

Chikungunya outbreak is developing in the area of Libreville, Gabon, as it
has been recently reported in newspapers. Since the beginning of May 2007,
an increasing number of febrile syndromes associated with arthralgia have
been recorded in the general population of the area and in a French
military camp located nearby. Previously, a total of 35 cases, including
French soldiers and members of their family or Gabonese regular employees
of the camp, were sampled for diagnosis of a febrile disease of possible
arboviral origin since 1 Jan 2007. Serum samples sent to the Institute of
Tropical Medicine of the French Armed Forces Medical Service (IMTSSA,
Marseilles, France) were analysed for the presence of antibodies against
dengue, West Nile, chikungunya and Rift Valley fever viruses. RT-PCR
[reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction] for the detection of
dengue and chikungunya virus genomes was also performed.
Among these investigated patients, 4 were positive for anti-chikungunya IgM
[immunoglobulin M] and/or IgG [immunoglobulin G] and 7 patients without
detectable antibodies were found positive for chikungunya RT-PCR. Partial
sequencing of the strains confirmed the identification of chikungunya
virus. The analysed strains grouped with a Cameroonian strain(99 per cent
identity) isolated in 2006 (Peyrefitte et al. Emerg Infect Dis 2007: 13:
768-71).
These data support the role of a Central-African chikungunya strain in the
current outbreak declared by the Gabonese authorities. Today, the number of
daily cases has been estimated around 300.
--
communicated by
Dr Hugues Tolou, MD, PhD
Dr Marc Grandadam, PhD
IMTSSA, Unit E9 de Virologie Tropicale, Marseille, France
viro@imtssa.fr
******
[3]
Date: 12 May 2007
From: Didier Fontenille [translated by Sidi Coulibaly, edited]
Source: AFP <http://afp.com/francais/home> [available only to paid
subscribers. - Mod.JW]

The government of Gabon has announced series of measure to prevent against
chikungunya virus in Libreville (capital city of Gabon) and its
surroundings where a month earlier [April 2007] many cases of this unknown
disease occurred in the country.
An official in the ministry of health said to AFP that more than 5500 cases
have been notified since one month in the only one province of Estuaire
(Libreville). "We can talk about [an] outbreak" he added. "About more than
a month now, cases of unknown diseases have appeared in Libreville and
Owendo health centers."
Experts from the ministry of health, National Army and World Health
Organization (WHO) are mobilized to work out strategies to get the outbreak
under control.
--
communicated by
Didier Fontenille
Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement/Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique 2724
BP 64501
34394 Montpellier Cedex 5
France
(through Sidi Coulibaly <sidi_couly@yahoo.ca>)
[This is the first outbreak of chikungunya virus infection in Gabon
reported by ProMED-mail, and we thank French and Gabonese colleagues, Drs
Leroy, Tolou, Grandadam, Fontenille, and Coulibaly for providing it.
ProMED-mail hopes that these colleagues will provide additional information
about the numbers of cases occurring and progress made to control this
outbreak. In addition, on 13 May 2007, Reuters
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13424543.htm> reported that the
minister of state for health Paulette Missambo of the Gabon government said
that 5000 suspected cases have been reported so far. Chikungunya has been
detected over the last month in patients in the capital Libreville and the
southern suburb of Owendo on the Gabon Estuary. ProMED thanks rapporteurs
Joseph P Dudley and A-Lan Banks for sending in this same Reuters report.
A map of Gabon can be accessed at
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/gabon_pol_2002.jpg> - Mod.TY]

See Also

Chikungunya - USA ex Asia, Africa 20061125.3349
Chikungunya - France (Bordeau) ex Senegal 20061117.3294
....................sh/jw/lm/ty/ejp/sh

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